Ron Paul campaign targets third constituency group after farmers and gun owners

U.S. Rep. Ron Paul‘s Iowa campaign has reached out to farmers and gun owners during the past two weeks. Now the campaign has set its eyes on small business owners with the roll out of a “Small Businesses for Ron Paul” coalition.

Ron Paul

“Ron Paul has earned my support,” said Cary Peterson, president of Peterson Painting in West Des Moines. “His consistency in voting for what he believes above all other considerations affirms his integrity, and I am confident that his quality carries over into small business issues.”

Peterson Painting has been family-owned and operated for nearly 50 years.

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses represent 99.7 percent of all employer firms, employ just over half of all private sector workers and pay 44 percent of total U.S. private payroll. Over the past 15 years small businesses have generated 64 percent of all net new jobs, and they contribute to more than half of the nonfarm private gross domestic product (GDP).

SBA defines a small business concern as one that typically employs fewer than 500 workers, is independently owned and operated, is organized for profit and is not dominant in its field.

“Regulation is contrived by big government and supported by big business to make it more difficult for small business to compete with them. Ron Paul has a career in politics voting against this type of regulation and leveling the playing field for the smaller businesses to be competitive,” said Marcus Fedler.

Fedler is president of Customs Impressions in Washington. The business provides screen printing, rubber stamp manufacturing and trophy and corporate recognition manufacturing services. Fedler is also the 2nd district co-chairman for the Ron Paul presidential campaign in Iowa.

Forming coalitions of constituency groups in Iowa has historically been a common practice in the lead-up to the first-in-the-nation caucuses. During this election cycle, however, Ron Paul appears to be the only candidate doing so in a public way.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) did release a group of 100 pastors and people of faith who have endorsed her campaign, and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced several individuals who will serve as county leaders for his campaign, but these coalitions of support — teachers, parents, outdoor enthusiasts, business owners or what-have-you — appear to be the sole domain of the Paul campaign at this time.